


Let Kids be Kids

by HerExtraLife



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Let them have at least some positive childhood moments please, Love triangle but also not really, follows the story with some twists
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-01-29 05:47:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21405175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HerExtraLife/pseuds/HerExtraLife
Summary: It had been just over a couple of ration bars. Just three of those grey tasteless rectangles that they had so many crates of stockpiled in storerooms. Anybody in the Horde would scoff at the idea of the consequences of even a hundred of them going missing, everyone but Shadow Weaver.Adora and Catra escape the abuse early and fall into the care of a certain grieving Queen of a disbanded Alliance
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 257





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I don't really know much about writing but I hope you enjoy! Let me know if this is something you'd like to see more of.

It had been just over a couple of ration bars. Just three of those grey tasteless rectangles that they had so many crates of stockpiled in random storerooms. Anybody in the Horde would scoff at the idea of the consequences of even a hundred of them going missing, everyone but Shadow Weaver. She wasn't even particularly fond of those things, she’d much rather eat from the spoils of raids that she would order troops to bring back under the guise that the organic material was for experiments. It wasn't a particular ingenious lie, but Hordak couldn't care less about what she ate as long as it did not slip into the hands of a hungry cadet and sow ideas of the outside world. As Shadow Weaver gazed upon those three bars in the paws of cadet Catra she may have well viewed those tasteless rectangles of inexpensive material as a priceless delicacy with the severity of the punishment she had in store. Catra’s eyes were wide and afraid, the pupils dilated to pinpoint in response to her inner workings of a flight or right response. Shadow Weaver smiled behind her mask and she glided closer, she knew she wouldn't have to give chase, nobody dared to run from her. The bars tumbled to the ground, already forgotten by both parties. 

* * *

Adora stirred in her sleep and stretched her legs out and then immediately sat up. That wasn’t right. She wasn’t supposed to be able to do that without hitting resistance in the form of another slumbering body that always seemed to rest in the middle of her bunk. The young girl quietly stood up and jumped to peek over the top bunk in case her friend had decided that she was kicking too much in her sleep.

Empty.

With a quick peek under the bed resulting in nothing but getting dust up her nose Adora sighed. This wasn’t the first time Catra had disappeared to explore or mess around, but usually, she would tell her so she wouldn’t worry. She sat back on the bed and counted in her head to five minutes in case it was just a case of needing to use the restroom, but there was no sign of her. Adora bit her fingernails before she sighed and started to put socks on, sans her boots so she could be sneaky (something she learned from Catra). Adora quickly scanned around the barrack, her eyes lingering on the other cadets to make sure nobody else was up. The sounds of Rogelio’s growl like snores and Kyle’s sleep mumbling put her at ease as she made her way to the mechanical door, hoping for once it would be quiet. 

The hallways were lit with a reddish hue that made it easy to make out where she was going, even in the dead of night. She remembered the easily accessible vents Catra would point out to her when detailing her exploits and hid in them whenever she heard a patrol go by. It felt so wrong to hide from what she thought was her own family, but she couldn't risk anything. Her breath hitched as a particular pair stopped right in front of the small floor vent she currently occupied, their worn but clean boots the only thing in her vision from her low position.

“Shadow Weaver got that brat again I hear. Caught the scamp raiding the canteen again like some rat. Her punishment will surely put her in her place. You have to crack down on behavior like that early I'd say.” The soldier on patrol’s voice was rough, clearly older and experienced. 

“I don’t know man, Catra is just a kid. I had my fair share trouble as a young cadet and I never got more than latrine duty. What she’s doing to that girl, it seems like too much to me. Those screams...they just don't sit well with me.” Adora bit her hand to hold in the gasp she knew she would release. The younger cadet's voice held a discomfort she rarely heard. 

“Are you implying that our superior is making an incorrect judgment in the punishment of an insubordinate cadet under her charge? You are stepping out of line soldier.”

“N-No Sir! I would never say that anything is wrong about absolutely anything here!”

“You are lucky it's me you slipped up in front of. Don’t dare do it again unless you want to be the receiving end of a punishment like that. Let’s move on, we are already behind schedule.”

Adora covered her mouth until the sounds of heavy footsteps disappeared down the hall. She carefully busied herself with removing the vent crate quietly to keep her mind off of processing what she heard all at once. She knew Catra would get in trouble, but to have it stated so bluntly in front made her stomach twist. She knew Catra got punished sometimes, but hearing others talk about it with such passion made her queasy. The kid continued down the hallway, knowing where her friend most likely was now. 

* * *

Catra struggled against Shadow Weaver’s grip but dared not to brandish her claws. Easily overpowered, she found herself dragged to the one room in the horde that not even Adora’s presence could make comforting. The door closed itself as Shadow Weaver released Catra roughly so she skid onto the cold floor in front of her. The older woman’s voice was deep and calm but held malice in it that seemed to be exclusive to the cat. 

“Do you understand the frustrations that you cause me? You are lucky I had the decency to bring you here and not install my lesson in you right in that hallway. I know those ration bars weren’t assigned to you, and I can ensure that there won’t be any for you in a long time, cadet.”

"I-I was just getting them fo-"

"I will not listen to the excuses that you would dare waste my time by spewing. You do this to yourself child, without me you would be without any structure. You should be grateful that I take time out of my schedule to steer your right. You will never be anything but a nuisance to Adora if you refuse my rules any longer." 

Catra curled into herself, aware of what would surely come next. The pain was excruciating and although Catra prided herself on her tolerance, the torture just got worse as the seconds carried on. Her senses were dulled, she couldn’t perceive anything but the burning electricity that engulfed her small frame. She knew this was wrong, nobody else in her squad was subjected to this kind of pain, but there was nothing she could do about it. She could feel her vision fading, it was usually around this time into her punishment sessions that she would lose all sense of herself. Things would be normal again tomorrow, she’ll see Adora who would care enough to ask where she had been and everything will be okay for a bit. Catra didn’t hear the door opening or the shouts of her name before it went dark. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where are the child protective services??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, you guys are wonderful thank you so much for the comments and kudos. So, for the ages, I'm thinking they are about 12-13ish. Again let me know what you think! It always makes my day to get feedback :)

_ 4 hours prior _

“C’mon Adora! I know you are slow mentally, but physically now too?” 

Catra slowed down her mad sprint as she gazed over her shoulder to watch her best friend’s lackluster chase. Her tail whipped around cautiously as she watched Adora slow down to a walk, her arm curled around her stomach. Catra scrunched up her nose at the sight and started to jog back to her companion, growing more concerned as the distance closed. Catra could smell the sweat coming from her friend and sensed the pure exhaustion radiating from the girl. Adora always had the most stamina out of their unit, so a standard game of tag around the base should have been a breeze for her. Adora felt an arm rubbing her back as she struggled to not double over from the discomfort striking through her stomach. 

“Hey, what’s up? You don’t look too hot, worse than usual. Is this from when I kicked you during training? I swear it was a mistake! I thought you’d block!”

Adora grimaced, although that did hurt, it wasn’t that. She had given her assigned ration bars to Kyle today because the scrawny cadet had his stolen by some of the other cadets. This was a usual occurrence, but this time the boy’s not so secret stash was also raided. She couldn’t just let him starve! He always got worse during training when he was hungry. She was just looking out for her squad but she didn’t realize that she had given one of hers to Catra yesterday efficiently starving herself out. Adora would rather not let Catra know of her decision. She didn’t feel like having a lecture about taking care of herself and being healthy from the girl who catches wild mice around the facility and licks herself clean.

“Lemme guess, You gave you ration bars to that doofus Kyle, didn’t you. Now you are starved out because you also gave me one of yours yesterday." She huffed, "Always have to be the hero don’t you?”

Adora blinked momentarily forgetting about the nauseous feeling that had engulfed her. She knew she couldn’t hide anything from Catra, but it had been worth a shot. 

“You know I couldn’t just let him st-”

“Yeah yeah save it blondie. You wouldn’t dare watch one of your friends suffer if you could do anything about it! You would rather die of hunger than hear Kyle’s poor stomach rumble.” Catra dramatically leaned against the wall, her hand-thrown across her forehead. She sunk down to the floor where Adora gave her a small kick with her boot.

“I wasn’t being a hero! Just a friend! Anybody would have done the same!”

Catra laughed from the floor before slowly rising and flinging her arm over Adora’s shoulder. 

“Yeah ok, that’s why everybody else were the ones who took them and split them with each other. The only one who didn’t was Rogelio, who is probably mad that you got to be there first to snatch Kyle’s admiration. Expect him to growl more than usual tomorrow." Catra eyed flicked to the arm that tightened around Adora's midsection and the crease of her friend's eyebrows.

"If you are going to be boring and weak let’s just go back to the bunks, it’s almost time to turn in anyway.”

Adora huffed and let Catra lead them back to the barracks to get ready for bed. She didn’t notice the mischievous flick of Catra’s tail before falling asleep or the empty spot that formed right after her consciousness faded away until it was too late. 

* * *

_ Present _

Adora grimaced as the screams of her most important person infiltrated her ears through the thick steel of Shadow Weaver’s door. She felt her breath becoming ragged as she felt the weight of what she was about to do. Nobody.  _ Nobody  _ walked into her room without being invited. All it took was one more ear-piercing yowl to swallow down her nerves and punch the green button to allow herself in. 

Adora felt her stomach twist as she was finally able to see the state of her friend. Catra was curled in on herself, red crackles of electricity locking her muscles tight. The smell of singed fur assaulted her nostrils as Adora’s knees started to shake. Her voice quivered as she fought her reflex to run, this was all kinds of wrong.

“C-Catra! S-Stop! You’re hurting her!” 

Shadow Weaver lowered her hand as the torment holding Catra down slowly dissipated. Her voice was calm, kind even, but Adora knew that's how she hid the venom. 

“Adora, dear, why are you out of your bed? You aren’t supposed to be here, you know that. I’ll pretend you didn’t sneak out and break the rules if you return at once.”

It took every ounce of Adora’s strength to not turn around and pretend she never saw anything. She gripped her arm and dug her nails into the flesh there. After what she's seen and the thoughts of everything she hadn't, there was no way she could walk away from this. 

“Shes...Catra, she’s hurt. C-can I take her with me.”

Shadow Weaver’s eyes narrowed. Adora never talks back to her, let alone barges her way into restricted areas. 

“This child’s impudence causes _me_ incredible pain. I have to straighten out her path because _you_ are failing at keeping her in order on your own. You wouldn’t understand Adora, you are too emotional, too soft. We have time to right you yet.”

Adora’s breath hitched as she watched Shadow grow closer and in what should be a soft gesture, lay her hand on her cheek in a way that made her skin crawl. 

“I will allow you to take her back to the barracks, but don’t let this happen again or forget the kindness I’ve shown you tonight.”

Adora could only nod slightly as Shadow Weaver walked to gaze at the rune that was planted in the middle of the room. The blond shook her head before all but diving to the floor to check on Catra. She felt warm and her fur was stuck on end like it does when she’s upset or surprised. Adora gathered the unconscious girl up in her arms and made her way back to the bunks. She could feel the stares from the soldiers on patrol as she fought to keep her expression in a neutral state despite all of the feelings that ravaged her heart. ' _ Shadow Weaver must have let them know that they’d be going through the halls'  _ Adora thought idly, grasping onto any observation that would help take her mind off of the whimpering child in her arms. She felt so small, so weak, so uncharacteristically like the confident and infuriating friend she was used to seeing. She sighed as she entered the bunk room and made her way to lay Catra down on the bottom bed. She brushed some of her hair out of her face and bundled the blanket around her as if it were a little nest. Adora climbed in soon after admiring her work, sitting against the wall at the head of the bunk and drawing her knees to her chest. A dangerous thought crossed through her mind, a thought that would put her in the reconditioning chamber if she were to speak it out loud. At the moment though, it felt so right.

_ We can’t stay here _


	3. Chapter 3

Adora had trouble falling asleep that night.

It seemed every time she closed her eyes Catra’s screams and the feeling of her corpse-like body in her arms took over her senses. This clearly hadn't been the first time and suddenly, Catra’s mysterious soreness during training and the way she flinched whenever Shadow Weaver appeared made sense. She thought the punishments were just stern talking-tos! She didn't think they would be that severe. The immense sense of guilt that washed over her when she thought about it was enough to make her whimper. They were supposed to take care of each other and if she failed at that...then she failed as Catra’s best friend. 

Adora sighed and rubbed her eyes as the morning alarm went off, sending the cadets out of their beds to get dressed for training before their officer came in for morning inspection. Catra hissed to herself as she propped herself up, body on autopilot despite the pain that still seemed fresh. She didn't remember much after getting struck, she never did. She stretched as she glanced at Adora tucking in the bed sheet to what always came out as a creaseless masterpiece. It always takes all of Catra’s little self-control not to untuck a corner just to mess with Adora. This time, however, the bed had multiple spots where the fabric folded over each other in what would be a sloppy display by her usual standards. Catra opened her mouth to make a snarky comment but closed it when she saw the tired and hopeless look in her friend’s eyes. This wasn't right. What happened last night?

Having no time to talk, Catra could only nervously observe Adora’s body language and lack of comebacks as the day of training went on. When_ Kyle_ managed to land a hit in the blond’s abdomen she knew she had to somehow pull her aside. 

“Yo! Shurkill! Adora has, uh, cramps! You know those real bad kinds, ya get it?”

Training Captain Shurkill glanced up from his clipboard with narrowed eyes to look over a confused Adora. Catra motioned for her friend to clutch her midsection while he was looking away. Adora raised her eyebrow before throwing both hands around herself and falling to her knees.

“Ahhhgggg, my, uh, stomach! So much p-pain, I don't know if I can go on captain!”

Catra held her head in the palms of her hands as she inwardly groaned at the pathetic display. This is why s_ he _was the one who always talked when they needed someone to lie. Catra quickly switched to a more neutral body position as Crostreks turned toward her. 

“I don't know what's going on, but given her performance today, I don't want to take a chance. Take her to the infirmary to get her checked. I don't expect Adora to be one to skip out of training, but I fully expect it from _you,_ cadet. Don't burn my trust any more than you have already.”

Catra gave a mock salute and quickly moved to gather Adora into a standing position, cringing as Adora made a show of groaning from mock pain and clutching onto her. Catra huffed as she all but dragged the heavier girl out the door of the training room and into the locker area. She set her down on one of the benches and checked the corners to make sure nobody was with them. Satisfied at their state of privacy, she moved to stand in front of Adora, almost looming. 

“Ok spill. Why are you acting like this? And don't lie, I've been watching you all day, something is up.”

Catra’s tail swishes as she watches Adora’s face harden. When she starts to speak Catra has to lean in to hear it all clearly.

“I’ve just been...thinking. Catra, we...we need to leave.”

“What? Like, this room? Wait, do you actually need to go to the infirmary? Because I-”

“No Catra. We need to leave the Horde.”

The words uttered by the Horde’s very own poster child hit like a surprise punch to the gut, which she seldom receives mind you. The cat’s tail bristled as she lurched forward to grab onto the other girl’s shoulders.

“Alright, so we actually do need to get you some help. What do you mean 'leave the Horde'?! If anybody else were to hear you say that, even _ you _ would get into trouble.”

Adora stood from her position, Catra’s hands never falling from her tense shoulders. 

“Catra, I know what Shadow Weaver has been doing to you, I saw last night. I-I can't stay here knowing this is happening to you and I-I don't want to be a part of something that does this! I was thinking of a plan last night. We can steal a Skiff and once we get out we can figure it out from there. I know this sounds crazy and I understand that it's a lot but I-”

“Okay, I'm in.”

“Wh-what?”

“I never felt any allegiance to this stupid hole and this stupid army anyway. Where you go I go, and if that means trying to escape out of a place that’ll basically kill us for desertion I’ll be there.”

Catra tensed as arms wrapped around her torso in what felt like a desperate embrace. Her tail brushed against her friend's leg as she returned the hug with just as much as force. She knew this was crazy, and she knew that this could go so wrong in so many ways. The thought of what Shadow Weaver would do to them if they were caught made her shiver, but the arms around her steadied her. If they were going to do this, they have no option but to succeed.

“Catra, I..Im so sorry that I was so stupid not to notice what was going on. I can fix this, I will make sure she never does anything to you again, I swear.” 

Adora removed herself from the warmth of the embrace and cupped Catra’s cheek gently as if she was afraid that even such a gentle action would hurt her. The smaller cadet shivered from the contact, but for once this position did not lead into feelings of intimidation and fear. It was fresh, and she could only lean into the contact as she felt her apprehension from the situation start to fade away. 

“With my plan, we can get out tonight. I know it's soon, but I feel the longer we stay, the harder it will be to leave. We will only do this if you are a hundred percent sure you want to.”

Catra smirked as she held the hand against her cheek. 

“The only thing holding me back is the fact that we would miss out on Shadow Weaver’s face when she finds out we dipped out of this crappy place.”

Adora would normally reprimand her for her language, but she'll let it slip this time. The next 24 hours were going to be the most nerve-wracking hours of her life, but she would take it over spending another day here. The two girls separated as they heard the doors open from the training room. 

“Cadets, I'm assuming you were on your way back, am I wrong?"

Captain Shurkill moved to stand in front of them with the rest of the squad standing behind him, hesitant to make their way to their own lockers. Catra, always the upstanding actor, smiled easily and spoke before Adora could even dare to.

“Of course Shurkill! Adora here got a clean bill of health and is ready to get back into it tomorrow. No need to worry at all sir.”

“Cadet Adora, it would be in your best interest not to show weakness like that again, understand? Don’t let me catch you with any theatrics again.” 

Shurkill grunted before writing something on his clipboard and leaving the room without even a second glance at the two. The duo breathed a sigh in relief before going to their own lockers to change out of their training uniforms. They would have to try and not step on any more toes today, something that would be marked difficult for Catra.

Lonnie’s voice pierced the silence as she gathered her change of uniform and began to head to the shower stalls on the far side of the room. 

“Bold move skipping out of sparring. Wish I had the guts to do it too, but don't make it a habit or we will all get punished.”

“Ha, yeah! I wish I could ditch too!”

“Oh hush up Kyle, _you_ need more training time than all of us, so don't even think about pulling anything. Fall any further back and they’ll put you with the lower age squadron.”

Lonnie’s remark stung a bit, but he smiled as Rogelio laid a clawed hand on his shoulder, growling comfortingly. 

Adora sighed as the familiar scene before her unfolded. If there was one thing she'd miss it was the interactions between her squad. These kids were her family, and a large part of her felt guilty that she would be leaving them behind. She felt something soft touch her hand and she glanced down to see Catra’s tail brushing against her. No, she couldn't feel guilty, this is what has to be done. 

_There's no looking back after tonight _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still crying over every comment, kudo, and bookmark that I get.  
Next Chapter: The daring escape (finally)


	4. Chapter 4

“And that's my plan for getting out of the Fright Zone”

“Adora, I love you and everything, but that was incredibly stupid”

Catra leaned against the back of the storage closet that they decide would be their secret base for the day. It was a bit musty, but they really didn't have another option for secrecy here. Clearly offended, Adora sputtered before crossing her arms and leaning forward at the hip towards her friend.

“Oh yeah? What about my plan was so ‘stupid’ huh? Not like you have given any ideas!”

Catra pushed herself from the wall and poked Adora’s forehead to the annoyance of the girl. She didn't dwell if the slight red blooming on the blond’s face was from embarrassment or anger.

“Well, for one, you can’t even get into the Skiff garage without a Force Captain’s badge or security clearance. I don’t know if you haven't noticed but we don’t have either of those things. Do we even know how to pilot one? Did we have training for it, or was it one of those days where I had...other things to take care of.”

Adora cringed and removed the offending finger from her face. She didn't really think about that, not that she really had the time to make a foolproof plan. She rubbed her temples as she paced back and forth in the tiny room. Catra watched with mild interest smirking as her friend accidentally kicked the side of a bucket in her deep thought. She hadn't seen Adora so stressed about something before, but given the circumstances, there wouldn't be a reason why she wouldn't be. Despite her emotional mask, Catra was nothing but a nervous wreck too. What chance did they even have? There were loads of guards in the halls and even one that is stationed in the Skiff garage at all times. They could try the vents but Catra hasn't ever been that way, and without a map, there was a slim shot of even getting to the right place. 

“Ah! I could- no that wouldn't work. Maybe if I….no no that's dumb. Can we just punch the panel and break it? No, wait, forget I said that.”

Despite the stress of the situation, Catra had to smile at that. Of course, a meathead like Adora would resort to something stupid like that. However, she had a point. Focusing on the control panel was definitely going in the right direction. Catra’s tail swished as she came up with an idea, it was far fetched, but maybe it could work. 

“We could steal Octavia’s badge! Ugh, wait it's on her face right? That would be hard. Hmm, what If we knock her out! Haha just kidding...unless? No, she’d kill us….but what if-”

“Adora shut up I have an idea! You know that electric stick thing that the soldiers carry around? What if we like, you know...”

Still a bit annoyed at being told to shut up, Adora observed the motion of Catra holding a mop and thrusting it like a sword in a forward jab. Recognition lit up her face as she grasped onto the cat’s shoulders.

“Yes! We could steal a baton, and knock out Octavia and steal her badge! Ahg I wish I thought of that myself!”

“Geez, Adora think with your head. I was thinking we could shove the baton, not into Octavia’s only eye, but the control panel. Overload it or some crap, that's how electricity works right?”

Adora shrugged, but they really didn't have any other idea. It had the potential to not be as stealthy, but they were really running out of ideas here. There wouldn't be a guard rotation until the next morning too. If they were to be caught they would be caught together, and as sad as it was, she felt a little better knowing that she would receive punishment with her this time. This was all so much, she wasn’t prepared for this. The Horde has taught her a lot, but none of it was about how to break free from it. 

“I think I can nab one from this grunt that always falls asleep at his post at the entrance to the food storage facility. Sucker wouldn’t even notice for a few hours I’d bet. His shifts been on for a while now so he’s probably slumped. I can even go now and meet you back here in an hour.”

Adora hummed thoughtfully as she placed a hand to her chin. She didn’t like that Catra would be the one to go alone, but even she had to admit her stealth ability was beyond compare. Adora’s eyes drifted down to the floors, her fists falling to her sides. This was frightening, there was no doubt about that. Catra may be smirking about it and cracking jokes, but she could see it in her eyes too.

_ fear _

With weak knees, Adora took a step forward to wrap her arms around Catra for the second time that day. They were no strangers to skinship, but there was an added weight to these encounters today. Catra spent no time before reciprocating the embrace.

“What’s all this affection today? What you care about me or something?”

Her words were playful, but Adora could hear the slight quiver in them and felt the way her hold tightened. 

“I do, you know that.”

Catra’s breath hitched as she found it in herself to not squeeze Adora until she broke. Instead, she settled on pulling slightly on Adora’s ponytail and taking a step back.

“Yeah yeah I guess I care about you too. Sit tight I’ll be back with the stingy thingy.”

Without further fanfare, Catra climbed to the ceiling and entered through the ventilation with unmatched grace. Adora watched until her tail disappeared and then sank to the floor to sort out her thoughts. Ok, so they were_ really _ doing this. This wasn’t some plan to steal food or play a prank on one of the other cadets. This scheme of theirs could determine their future and if they’d be there to even see it. Defectors were handled harshly by the Horde, many not even having the chance to defend themselves before execution. Sure, there was a time where she thought it was justified, but being in her position now and realizing that they may have felt the same….frightened her. What other feelings and opinions of hers were based on the horde’s teachings and not her own? Probably most, if not all of them, if she was going, to be honest with herself. 

She let her thoughts carry her for some time before a rattle above her sent her into an automatic defense stance. Catra jumped from the vent, landing as always with grace. She huffed in amusement at Adora’s position before brandishing the baton, pointing it at her with a smirk.

“Hey! Don't point it at someone unless you're going to use it!” despite her actions she smiled, “I'm glad your mission was a success. We don't really have much food prepared, but I think we should leave as soon as possible before someone notices the bunks are empty.”

Catra’s smirk turned into a slight frown. This was it, huh. No turning back from this, they were really doing it. They had picked a closet close to the garage and only needed to traverse a couple of halls before reaching the door. Adora put her ear against the door, listening for the patrol’s passing footsteps before they could sneak out. The telltale clanks of boots to metal reached the end of the hall and Adora motioned Catra to follow her out. They didn't have much time until patrol two would follow the first patrol. Catra huffed, the Horde seemed overstaffed if they were having this many people walking around. 

It wasn’t long before they stood in front of the control panel and badge reader. Catra hesitantly turned on the baton, unsure if she should really go through with it. She felt pressure and looked down to see Adora grab her hand before she placed her hand over hers on the baton. They both shared a look before thrusting it with all their might into the mechanism. They shielded their eyes from the sparks before stepping back anticipating the door to unlock.

It didn't

They both started to panic as the warning light flashed across their faces. They were frozen on the spot, unable to run as the door opened on behalf of someone on the other side. They watched a soldier, blaster brandished, emerge from the now opened entrance. Catra considered pouncing on him before he pointed his gun to the floor and spoke in a hushed panicked voice.

“What are you two doing?! Command is going to get an alert! Get in here quick!”

Catra turned to run away, ignoring the soldier, but Adora grasped her wrist.

“No, no wait. I think….I think we can trust him. I know that voice.”

“Adora are you crazy?! What obligation does he have? We don't know anybody but the cadets and those we've screwed around with and pissed off!”

“You can trust me, just hurry! We don’t have much time!”

Catra whimpered as they followed the soldier through the doors. She didn't have time to be embarrassed that her plan backfired, or that she really didn't think of the guard being there when they broke the system in the first place.

They were lead to the Skiff bay where the guard disappeared to the small storage room only to come back with a key. Adora hesitated before taking it as Catra eyed him cautiously. Adora was placing her trust almost blindly, but she had recognized the man’s voice as the one that displayed hesitation to his commanding officer about Shadow Weaver’s methods. 

“I know you have no reason to have any confidence in me, but you have to. The Horde, it's no place for kids, especially for you.” He glanced at Catra before continuing,” It's not right, I can't in good conscious send you guys to your death in the Fright Zone. Take the Skiff north from here, you'll hit the woods, but keep moving forward. You’ll reach a civilian town called Thaymor. Don't worry, they aren't as bad as the Horde has led you to believe, trust me.”

“Ok cool great, thanks. Adora, we need to leave right_ now _.”

Catra jumped to board the nearest Skiff beckoning her to follow. Adora turned to the soldier, face filled with emotion.

“What will happen to you?”

He stiffened at her question before moving to help her climb the Skiff. 

“Doesn't matter, I'm just glad I was here instead of the others.”

Catra eyed the controls warily before making way for Adora, who actually showed up to field training to learn to pilot them. The engine whirred as the floor seemed to get farther away little by little. The large bay doors opened, giving them the first sight of freedom. Adora turned back to the watching man, eyes filled with worry.

“Come with us!”

He gave a dry laugh and shook his head.

“I need to stay here and try to delay them as long as I can. You have to leave now, please don't worry about me. I’ve never felt better.”

Catra huffed as she charged the controls and pushed forward on what she thought was the right thing. The soldier smiled as he watched them speed off towards what he hoped was a brighter future. He turned to the entrance where he heard yelling and watched as a squadron of Horde soldiers raced to him. He took one last look to the outside world before turning to meet his fate, a small smile never leaving his face.

_ Good luck out there _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry still sobbing over the comments, thank you :')
> 
> Writing this is distracting me from studying for finals, but honestly, it's a nice break. If anybody wants to beta lemme know! I love working with others!


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